Lesson 5 - Igniting Chemistry in Fireworks

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Title: Igniting Chemistry in Fireworks

Summary

The purpose of this lesson is to relate the concepts learned in this unit to something familiar and exciting: fireworks! In this lesson, students will use laptops to complete online interactive activities in order to discover how atoms of particular elements are used to create the colors of fireworks and what occurs inside each atom to create specific colors, which components of a firework are fundamental to its operation and which are used optionally to create a particular effect, and how oxidation and combustion occur inside a firework and why they are necessary to make an explosion. This lesson is very fun and students will enjoy it because they will be able to relate what they learned about chemical reactions in this unit to something that is relevent to their lives.

Objectives

Students will be able to:
  • explain how the specific colors in a firework display are created when atoms of a particular element or a combination of elements are energized by the firework's heat
  • explain that the shape of the firework display is determined by the shape and structure of one particular component inside the firework
  • describe how each component of a firework has a role in the timing, sound, and visual display that make up a firework
  • recognize that the chemical reaction necessary for the ignition of a firework is an oxidation reaction in which energy is released by the combination of oxygen with other elements
  • discuss that when the energy produced by the chemical reactions inside a firework is trapped in a small space, heat is created much more rapidly than it is dissipated, resulting in combustion that causes the firework material to burn

Materials

Instruction

Opening (10 minutes)

  • I will begin this lesson by activating prior knowledge and engaging the students through a discussion about fireworks. I will ask them to think about a fireworks display they have seen.
    • What were your favorite types of fireworks? What was so special about them?
    • How do you think fireworks are made?
    • Where do the colors come from?
    • What keeps fireworks from exploding too close to the ground?

Middle (70 minutes)

  • I will give students a handout with questions to answer during the videos and interactive activities so they know what they need to be listening for.
  • I will show the Fireworks! Making Color video (2 min 34 sec) on the projector.
  • After, we will discuss the video by going over the discussion questions found in the hand out:
    • How are different elements used to make firework displays more enjoyable for spectators?
    • How does this relate to the lab activity in which elements were tested over a flame? (if the students have already done this in class)
    • What element is used to make your favorite color firework? Are some colors made by more than one element?
    • What advances have been made over the years in creating color in fireworks, and what advances can you imagine for the future
    • Why does each element emit it's own unique combination of spectral lines
    • What causes the electrons to move up and down in energy levels within atoms in a firework?
  • I will show the Fireworks! Lifting Charge video (2 min 15 sec) on the projector.
  • After, we will discuss the video by going over the discussion questions found in the hand out:
    • What factors control the shape of a firework display?
    • How is a firework launched, and what other applications of this technology can you think of?
    • What components of a firework are designed for safety, for example, when launching near a crowd of people?
    • What advances have been made over the years in the structure and launching of fireworks, and what advances can you imagine for the future? Give examples.
  • At this point in the lesson I will pass out the laptops and write the URL on the board.
  • Students will work on the Anatomy of a Firework interactive activity and answer the following questions in their handouts:
    • What are the different parts that make up a firework?
    • What is the recipe for black powder? Why do you think potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur become explosive after they are ground together?
    • Describe what pyrotechnicians call "stars."
    • How do you think pyrotechnicians control the timing so that a firework doesn't explode too close to the ground?
    • How are the engineering design process and the science of combustion merged successfully in fireworks?
  • The last activity in this lesson on fireworks will be the On Fire interactive activity. Students will be allowed to work individually or with a partner to do the activity and answer the following questions in their handouts:
    • Identify the key chemical principles that lead to fire: oxidation, combustion, and chain reactions, and explain what chemical reactions are involved.
    • What are the steps that occur during the combustion of hydrogen?
    • What are the steps that occur during the combustion of methane?

Closing (10 minutes)


  • I will sum up the lesson by revisiting the day's objectives and summarizing what we learned about the chemistry of fireworks.
    • In order to reflect on the class and determine the main point, as a class we will come up with a one-two sentence summary of the class. I will ask the students to write this down each day in order to use it in future classes, as well as to use as a study guide for the unit test.
      • "If you had to summarize the main idea of today's lesson, what would you say? As a class let's come up with a few sentences to summarize what we learned today and why it is important."
  • I will also remind students that the test for this chapter will be the next class. I will assign them the chapter review in order to study for the test. i will tell them that we will go over the answers and they will have an opportunity to ask questions before taking the test.

Notes